Travis Roy Cole

Travis Roy Cole was born in Battle Creek, Michigan on August 16th, 1942. He came from a small family consisting of his mother Lorien, father Edison and sister Barbara. He grew up in Burlington, Michigan and graduated from Union City High school in 1960. On November 20th, 1965 he married Gladys Eager and became the stepfather to her 6 children, fathering the first child of his own just a month later on December 26th. On September 13th, 1974 their growing family was complete with the birth of twins bringing the final count to nine children. He worked as a grinder for 17 years at the Eaton’s factory in Battle Creek. Travis then drove for North American Truck lines for about 3 years. Travis, Gladys and his two youngest children moved to Arizona in 1985. In 1988 he began working for the City of Glendale as a driver for Dial-A-Ride. Travis retired in 2003 after 15 years of working as an employee for the City of Glendale.
At the young age of 23, Travis married an older woman with 6 children, all of whom say he loved and raised them as his very own. He went on to have three more children with Gladys creating a legacy so large that it would outgrow everything except for his heart. His capacity for love would astound most; he truly was one of the kindest souls you ever could have had the pleasure of knowing, Travis’s love never stopped with just his children. We joke that he unofficially adopted several others, Travis was the epitome of unconditional love. His witty humor, passion for knowledge and deep intellect always made for great conversations. He was confident and outspoken with enough courage to speak his mind. He was passionate about religion and politics and spoke often about them both. Because of his strong, confident nature he never feared conflict over what he said and was not afraid to let you know where your opinions differed. Travis balanced honesty and respect when conversing and while he may not have always agreed with what you said, he always respected your right to express it. He was such an accepting and understanding man. Tattoos, piercings and colored hair might have been odd to him but he always loved you just the same. Just about every person who knew Travis has at least one story, if not several, about a time when he had helped them out. He was giving in nature and truly enjoyed being able to help in a time of need. Whether it was words of encouragement, support in life or a speedy loan he was gladly there for you.